A private affair
by la-perla's mermaid
Summary: Sequel to By monday morning. Some pleasures are too great to quit, they realized it the hard way. Brennan/Hodgins pairing, i don't own anything. Spoilers from mid season 5.
1. Porlogue

Prologue

He was inside of her ramming his manhood deep and hard, his hungry lips ravaged her mouth and while one hand rested on her stomach holding her in place the other one rubbed her clitoris with the fastest strokes. She relished in the touch of his soft pale skin, feeling how his back muscles tensed and relaxed at an ever speeding pace. Temperance knew she was close to her climax and wanted both to cum at the same time so she cupped his balls on a tight grip, in response he bit her shoulder on the fading bruise, she was beginning to sense that particular area as an erogenous spot. His name resounded through her room, escaping unbidden from her lips.

Her eyes snapped open and she groaned in frustration. It was just a dream, no more not less. It had been one month, two days and seven hours since she shared that spectacular weekend with Jack but if felt like decades. The fact that Dr. Brennan had to spend every day with the man that gave her such pleasure without being able to ever be with him again was slowly drawing her mad.

They had managed to keep their impasse hidden partly because no one would ever consider them as a couple and also because they were both very good at compartmentalizing. They knew that with watchful eyes as Booth's or Angela's the slightest touch could give them away so they kept a very neat professionalism with each other, mindful that even too much distance or coldness would also be a sign, so they danced in a delicate balance of cordiality and distance. Their acting had been so successful she begun to wonder if it wasn't all in her head, maybe Jack had gotten over it the moment he stepped on the platform that fateful Monday and he just remembered it as a fun escapade, without feeling the slightest attachment towards her. if that was the case she was glad for him, for he was spared from the torture she struggled with every day.

Every morning Temperance woke up with a sexual frustration that verged on despair, it even seemed as if the weather itself was against her. Summer hadn't started and a heat wave was already pestering the city, she had to choose between a smothering humid heat of the streets and the dry coldness of the air conditioning in the lab wich irritated her airways, adding a sore throat to her heat.

She wished to let him know how much it had meant for her that he had given her pained soul a single moment of perfect happiness, the only way she found to do so was to put flowers of her small garden into a antique glass vase over her desk with the hope that whenever he went by her office he would see how much she loved his gifts and how she cared for them.

The only outlet Brennan found for her arousal was to buy lots of lingerie, she wore the most alluring and delicate outfits to go to work with the useless illusion that one day he would see what hid below her usual clothing. It was a stupid and non logical course of action but if logic had anything to do with her predicament she wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. Another hidden message was her new perfume, she bought it knowing he would like it. they had talked of so many things during that weekend that she had managed to know many of his tastes and preferences. Nonetheless he didn't seem to notice the sweet smell with tones of chocolate, vanilla and raspberry that clung to her skin.

Peace only came at dawn or dusk when she took the time to water and care for her private garden, when she could leave all the crime and darkness behind; sadly she wasn't always able to do it alone. Booth liked to come very early in the morning and bring her breakfast with a large cup of coffee. usually that would be nice but the last thing a sexually starved woman needed was to be around an attractive male that exuded sexual confidence with deep brown eyes and a charming smile. Countless times she had debated between tearing his clothes off mindless of his consent, or throw him out of her apartment so she could be left alone to dwell on how little it took to shred the life she had built over the years. Part of her knew something wrong was coming, she wasn't the kind of person that believed in premonitions or trusted her own intuition yet the tension was palpable. The air around her was getting thicker by the minute, not different from the atmosphere that preceded a powerful storm. It was only a matter of time before she collapsed, crushed by forces much stronger than her iron will.

After a small taste of what it would be like to share your life with someone else the cruel reality that followed her dream was the certainty of how lonely she actually was. The downward spiral of depressing thoughts playing in her head was interrupted when the doorbell rang; Brennan knew who it was before she opened the door. Booth stood on the doorway with a sympathetic look on his face; she had seen that look enough times to know what it meant.

-"Something tells me this is going to be one of those days"- Temperance told him sadly. The four murdered teenager's case was still unsolved and they were running out of options.

-"Good morning to you too Bones and yes, we have a complicated day ahead of us"- He said handing her the coffee and the bran muffin with blueberries he knew she loved.

-"The worse part is that I'm getting used to them"- she shrugged in defeat

-"So do I"- he said bitterly.


	2. Heat

"Fucking heat!" Booth thought as he drove to his office, this weather made him cranky and the same thing happened with the rest of the people in DC. Traffic was a freaking mess, his jacket became unbearable to wear, and his beautiful Bones was usually wearing shorter and lighter clothing. Camille would have disapproved her working outfit if she and Angela weren't usually wearing the same, he couldn't blame them the heat left no respite and even on the weather control of the lab suffocation came often.

So there he was, trapped on his SUV with and attractive woman, his jacket left forgotten in the back of the car and the top buttons of his shirt undone, she added to his torment an intoxicating fragrance that reminded him of sweet feminine things, why did she had to smell like food? Now all he could think about was to dip her in chocolate and eat her all up.

His punishment wasn't over; fighting arousal was unfortunately the good part of his day, there was of course the unsolved case of four teenagers and the public pressure to get the real murderer. If they had been regular kids, the press would have been off their backs a long time ago, but these kids were all rich, they all went to a prestigious private school he couldn't be able to afford for Parker even if he won the lottery.

All clues pointed to their schoolmate, a boy named Aaron Michaels who was a proud gothic and self proclaimed lord of darkness. His family fortune wasn't enough to cover all his misdemeanours and assault charges. his bosses were about to under look Bones objections that claimed he was too small and short to do the crime himself but before there was a meltdown between the Jefersonian and the FBI Michaels' lawyers gave him the best alibi possible: he had been in jail at the time of the crime for murdering his neighbour's cat on a supposedly satanic ritual.

Today the mayor's wife asked to speak with them in private claiming she had very important information regarding her son's death, Booth prayed that this would be the lucky break they needed.

Jeanine Woodworth sat at the interrogation room with a composed calm that could be easily mistaken with indifference, the media had crucified her saying she was cold and heartless, some reporters even said she might be involved with her own son's murder. Maybe it took a woman hiding a secrete to now one, Brennan guessed her lack of expression was her only way to face the inner pain, Booth noticed the small twitch on her face and the sorrow hidden in her eyes.

-"I assume you have looked for other suspects aside from Aaron Michaels"- Not even Bones could sound so clinical

-"We investigated every person in contact with your son at the time of the murder, we also looked at anyone who could have a motive to do so"- Booth said sympathetic

-"Which is a very long list"- Brennan chipped in, he glared at her letting her know she had to be careful with her words and continued

-"I'm afraid that we have no conclusive evidence to tie any of them to your son's murder, we are contemplating the possibility that the crime is not about him, his classmates died that night too and they are the sons and daughters of very notorious people, it might be an action against one of them or their families."-

Ms Woodworth stood straighter and fidgeted on her chair, her hard masked cracked when her lower lip trembled, he handed her a box of tissues.-"It was about my son, there is a family who has a feud with him and they have a very good motive to kill him and his classmates."- She took a big shaky breath and continued –"There was a young girl named Eliza Chavez, she went to their school thanks to a scholarship. She came from a humble background I think that might be part of the cause of what happened. The precise reason of why it happened I never knew but it did now my son raped her with the help of his friends; the four of them were a tight group. The details I never knew and to be honest I didn't want to but I do know he was the one that raped her while his friends were only accomplices, they set the trap I think they invited her to one of their parties and left her locked alone with him."-

-"There was no report filed on any of them"- Brennan said shocked.

-"A report was made by her father and brother but instead of being properly filed the police alerted my husband and he made sure the charges didn't even made it to the database. When she tried to address a former complaint at the Righthood Hills School the dean accused her of defamation and her scholarship was taken away."-

Brennan fought her contempt, not only a girl was raped but she was punished for seeking justice and telling the truth. Her partner gave her a meaningful look and she understood that the boy's mother had nothing to do with the crime; there was no point in saying something that might hurt her feelings.

-"I'll give you the name and address of Eliza's family but be careful, my husband is seeking re-election and there is nothing he wouldn't do for preventing this information to become public. I also recommend that if these individuals are proven to be guilty to be escorted at all times or they will be murdered before they stand on trial. My husband not only seeks secrecy he also wants revenge"- she excused herself and left the office in a hurry.

* * *

-"So they called for a lawyer?"- Brennan asked her partner, they were going to meet Sweets; he had called them for a consultation.

-"Yup and the worst part is that without the charges of rape they officially have no motive to kill Aidan Woodworth"-

-"They are both tall and strong; any of them match the force needed to commit the murders"-

-"yes bones, them and any big guy in town. We'll find the way to get them"-

-"What if we don't"- She had a distant expression on her lovely face, every time she did that he braced himself because all that came from her mouth was unpredictable.

-"What do you mean?"- He said carefully

-"I mean that if we don't solve this murder the mayor won't try to silence us or the Chavez family, if you raise charges we might be responsible from their deaths"-

-"You're starting to sound like Hodgins bones, we are not sure he would try to kill them"-

-"Are you going to take that chance?"-

-"For a murder investigation, yes"- he was now taking a defensive stance

-"They didn't do anything you wouldn't do if you were in their place"-

-"I'm not into satanic rituals bones"- He said offended

-"They probably tried to frame Michaels who is by the way a sociopath. Booth we both know that if someone hurted your child you would be as violent as them, if not more."- Her eyes pierced him with a blunt defiance that impaled on his soul, if she only knew how much she affected him sometimes.

He dragged her to a near hallway and whispered with his face an inch from hers –"Bones I know what you mean, the law is not always perfect and there is the chance that if we do our jobs we might make things worse, but we have to do it anyway because if we don't we'll cross a line that we can't come back from"-

-"That is completely unreasonable Booth! We follow the law to help people not the other way around. Do you really think the Chavez will try to murder again just because they got away with it once? If we fail this time nobody will get hurt"-

-"no I don't think they will become regular murderers but what about the truth? I thought you always defended it"-

-"The truth is that the law failed Eliza and her family had to take the matter on his hands, she was the victim and the law did nothing about it but now is going to take the only ones she has and throw them in jail if they don't get killed first. She is only thirteen Booth; she'll be left alone just because we did our jobs"-

-"And thrown in to foster care, is that what's all about?"- He looked at the floor sadly and said in a raspy voice. –"The evidence you squints collected is enough for a probable cause; they are being arrested as we speak. I made arrangements for their security with a few police officers, they're good men bones, and they'll make sure Woodworth doesn't get them"-

She turned away from him and walked away as fast as possible, once in the main entrance she ran off the FBI building, she wouldn't allow him to see her cry. He didn't even consider her opinion on the matter just did what he considered was the right action; he acted as an FBI agent, not as her friend or even her partner.

Booth had drove her there and she cursed the fact that she had relied to much on him, a cab parked near her as if sent from the heavens and climbed in, in a hurry. From the rear mirror she saw Booth running at it and she told the driver to go.

-"Where to ma'am?"- He said kindly

She gave him the address of her condo and told him she'll give him seventy extra bucks if he got there in less than ten minutes. The force of the car when it sped pushed her back on her seat.

Once in her apartment she paced like a caged tiger, they were several ways to vent her anger but the anguish she felt would be difficult to deal with. Angela was a great listener but Temperance never went to her unless she was calmed, her best friend would be afraid if she saw her in that state.

A bird chipped on her widow, attracted by her garden, she had forgotten how beautiful the sunset was at this time of the year. She needed Jack, his optimism and passion was the only thing that might make her feel like her life wasn't on the verge of destruction.

-"Oh well if everything's going to hell I might at least enjoy it while it last"- She told the empty room. He had been working late this few days but he might be home by the time she got there.

There was the possibility that Hodgins would not be interested in being with her again but she wasn't in the mood for taking no as an answer, she just had to be persuasive. The warm shower did nothing to the tension on her shoulders yet the arousal it awakened took her mind of her problems. The underwear she put on left no place for discussion, the red bra lifted her breasts and was covered in delicate lace complemented with a matching thong that was sheer enough to show the small stripe of auburn hair trying to cover her sex.

She put on a tight denim dress that made her intentions clear: its length managed to cover her ass by not by far, above the waist it had a zipper that went all the way to her cleavage, all he would have to do is unzip it and it'll be out of the way. She didn't waste time with jewellery just gave her perfume another chance and put on casual red sandals that could be easily tossed aside.

…………………………………………

When Hodgins opened the door the last thing he expected to find was Dr Brennan on the doorstep looking like a wet dream, she went inside without asking for his permission which he had given if his jaw hadn't dropped to the floor.

He stood dumbstruck staring at the vision in front of him; she decided to act fast before he could object.

-"Jack I know we agreed not to ever have intercourse again but you have no idea of how much I need you"- she said desperate, cupped his face with her hands and gave him a soft sultry kiss, gently her tongue dove into his parted lips. He didn't respond to it, instead he took her by the arms and made her sit on the couch. Nonetheless there was no way she would let Hodgins escape, she slowly unzipped her dress and gave him a heated stare that could melt iron.

If she had known how hard it had been for him to deal with the fire she started that weekend he would have been more careful with her actions. He was unable to get a decent night of sleep haunted by the memory of her delicious body; he tried everything to get her off his head without success. Now she was in front of him demanding what he had prayed for since that Monday and nothing in this world would get in the way of what he wanted.

Before she could even move or say anything his hand reached below her dress and ripped the small piece of fabric that used to be expensive underwear, she laughed at the thought of how much money and time she took to buy lingerie only to be discarded without even a glance. His hands reached her shoulders, the now unzipped dress was pulled down and thrown away in seconds, she wanted her bra to be spared from the faith her thong had but her fingers were clumsy because of the excitement, she wasted precious seconds so he tore it too, its shreds fell at the sides of the couch.

There was no time to complain he forcefully spread her legs and his face dove between them, his greedy mouth liked and sucked at her tender flesh with insatiable lust. He was devouring her with such hunger his teeth nipped at her inner labia causing bolts of pain that mingled with the pleasure, she wanted to tell him to slow down and be more careful but her mouth only gave him moans. Her head was spinning, his tongue invaded her entrance and flickered inside, she begun hyperventilating when his fingers gently lifted the hood of her clit and he blew his hot breath over her exposed nub. Instead of pushing him away so she could catch her breath her legs locked him on a strong embrace and he had no choice other than go even deeper.

He couldn't get enough of her, he swore that if she ever landed in his arms again he would drown himself in her flesh and essence and wouldn't stop until he had reached and possessed every crook and crane of her supple anatomy.

Her scream was raw and louder than he remembered, his mouth stayed stuck to her insides prolonging the wave of her orgasm in spite of the violent convulsions her body suffered. Her climax was so intense she was left shaken and feeling a little helpless, distantly she felt her right foot being pulled over her lover's shoulders, he was still fully dressed but she felt his penis slowly probing inside of her.

He had driven her to the brick of madness, giving her the biggest orgasm in her life and that was just the foreplay…


	3. lost

He was lost inside of her, entering and receding her exquisite depth, his mind wandered away from his body leaving only his instinct. He had gotten so wrapped up on his lust he forgot his lover was far from her climax while he was reaching its brick, when he noticed that, shaking he tried to pull away hoping to cool down enough to start over and reach her but she kept him locked in a double embrace from her arms and legs, her pussy tugged on him as if commanding not to let go and the wave of bliss drained him of his strength, he was now too close to refuse.

-"It's okay baby, I wanna see you cum. I wanna know how it's like for you"- She said almost out of breath, she had always been too close to her orgasm every time he came, she was curious of how his body would react to the intense pleasure.

He was so vigorous in his lovemaking it amazed her; if she weren't so ready for him it would be uncomfortable and perhaps even painful. A man looks different in such circumstances, Hodgins was no exception. Hid pupils dilated until his blue eyes turned black, he stared straight at her but her new he wasn't able to process any image; the sense of touch had taken over the other ones on his brain. She didn't take her eyes away from him, he trembled again but this time it didn't last long, all the muscles in his body contracted at once, then spasms took over him and his back arched in a whiplash motion, the loud groan he gave on top of her reminded Temperance of an African lion roaring at the savannah below.

His head collapsed between the perfect pillows of her breasts, he was so satisfied and happy he feared it might be just a dream; god knows he had one of those every single night. Against all odds it wasn't, she was once again at his reach even when he feared it wouldn't be for long, so he fought sleep and drowsiness with tooth and nail. His softening cock felt her hips sway back and forward, she was caught in the middle of her act and he would be a poor lover if he left that incredible woman unsatisfied.

He left her entrance and she whined in frustration, then she moaned when his fingers took its place.

…………………………………………….

Had the night turned clearer? He wondered staring at the widow of his bedroom, he managed to drag Tempe away from the main hall after her third orgasm with the promise to continue once they were in bed. They couldn't help falling asleep a little after the fourth sexual act though he wasn't sure if he had counted right, when one of them was ending the other was barely begun and they ended up dragged into a cycle of lovemaking that seemed to go on forever. Exhaustion won in the end and their physical contact was reduced to sleep, spooning tightly.

-"Is it morning?"- She asked nobody in particular.

-"not yet, soon though"- he said holding her, he refused to let go of Tempe regardless of what the professional Dr Brennan had to say about it.

-"I'm taking the day off; I'll call Cam and tell her I'm sick."- She said as a six year old girl planning her first mischief.

-"It must be a contagious bug, I'm a little sick too"- he said caressing her hair

-"You do? What are your symptoms?"- She placed her hand on his forehead

He chuckled and explained her he would take the day off as well. She giggled and kissed him, her hand reaching below the sheets.

-"Hum… would you mind if be just cuddle for a while? You kinda wore me out"- he hoped she wouldn't feel offended, that woman drove him mad with lust but he was only human.

-"I don't think your penis agrees with you"- she purred looking at the tent formed on the sheets –"But don't worry just lie down and I'll do all the work"- Her head dove below the sheets and he sighed in anticipation.

She sucked on his dick with hunger, her throat relaxed allowing her to take him deeper, she gave a few little moans knowing it would tickle on him and by the way he gasped and shook she assumed she was doing a very good job. Tempe resisted the urge to penetrate herself with the tool on her mouth but he looked so happy right there, he would take care of the fire in her pussy later on.

Just when he thought everything was too perfect to be true the real world outside managed to filter into his paradise in the form of a tune, he begun to hear a little song over and over again. At first he thought it was just a distant sound on the street or an auditive illusion and decided to let himself go to the feel of happiness his lover gave him, but as those great minutes passed that tune repeated itself with even more insistence. If you ever tried to fall asleep on a silent house whose only noise comes from a leak that falls loudly on the metal surface of the kitchen sink, you might have an inkling of how he felt.

-"Tempe do you hear that?"- He said gently lifting her head from him.

She tensed when she heard that sound and bolted out of bed, running to the main hall

The obnoxious tune came from her phone, discarded away inside her bag the moment she stepped into Hodgins' house; the caller ID said Booth and she knew she was in trouble. The infernal device was silent for a few seconds and then the song reappeared, she took the call and tried to sound as calm as possible.

-"Brennan"- she tried to sound casual

-"Bones! Jesus Christ I've been trying to reach you for almost and hour. Where are you? Is everything all right?"- He sounded so scared it made her feel guilty

-"Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?"- She was a very bad liar, her throat constricted and even she knew Booth would be suspicious.

-"Because you didn't come home last night, I'm at your doorway. Where are you?"-

-"With a friend"- She said flatly and suppressed her moan when Jack held her from behind while nibbling her neck. She had left him at the peak of his climax and he was desperately trying to find release in her aching loins.

-"I see"- he said darkly –"Bones I need you to get over here we have a case"-

-"Is the structural integrity of the remains compromised in any way?"-

-"Huh? No, Cam it's with it. It's fleshy"-

-"Then I'm not going"- she said angrily, all she wanted was to hung up the phone and screw her Fuck buddy's brains out.

-"Why?"- He was exasperated, something was wrong with his Bones.

-"It is not my department Booth, Cam can handle it on her own and if she needs help she can go to any of my assistants, I think Wendell is available."-

-"What the hell has gotten into you?"-

She felt Jack's soft touch on her and the arousal was running her patience thin, "you do NOT want to know" she thought bitterly. The conversation on the phone might have been different if she weren't so heated, she wasn't even aware of the words that came from her mouth anymore. When she felt his manhood creeping between her legs she almost threw the phone away.

-"I'm tired Booth, we haven't even officially closed the previous case and now you took another one. I haven't slept more than a few hours for the last three weeks and neither have you, it is only a matter of time before any of us makes a mistake and we share a huge responsibility to allow ourselves failure"- Jack stopped with his fondling when he heard the rage in her voice, he might be horny as hell but he could tell she needed a shoulder to lie on not a horn dog. She took a few calming breaths, calmed herself and continued –"Booth if you really want to do your job properly take a step back for once. Let someone else handle the case or you'll end up making a big mistake and ruin it or worse, you could get killed. As for me"- she said looking at Jack –"I'm taking the day off and disconnecting my cell phone. If you have any common sense you'll do the same, goodbye Seeley"- she kept her word and the cell landed hard on the nearest wall.

-"You okay Tempe?"- He asked gently

-"Of course I am"- her face was so neutral he knew she wasn't. He hadn't spent so much time with her as Booth or Angela but he had known her for years.

-"Is there anything you wanna talk about?"- If his dick had a mind of its own it would have screamed and ranted all night but some things are more important than sex, his boner would have to wait.

-"No, I don't want to talk I want you to fuck me"- her angry stare scared him a little and turned him on a lot.

Without preamble he penetrated her, she stumbled backwards until her back was roughly pressed by the adjacent wall. He knew this is what she needed; the angry sex would vent some of the rage, with a little luck she would be more open to talk afterwards.

All she could feel was him, his manhood ramming her like a piston, his chest squashing her breast flat and his hands holding her by the globes of her ass. Faster and faster he moved blinding her in hot white light, exorciscing all her sorrows.

She felt him cradling her in his arms ant then laid on the bed, if she weren't so drained she would have walked, after all Hodgins lean frame might have problems lifting her weight.

-"You all right baby?"- He told her gently

-"Yes, why do you keep asking that?"-

-"Because you just rejected a case that's why"-

She opened her mouth in shock and placed her palm on her forehead.-"I can't believe I did that! I have to call Booth"-

-"Wait, please baby. Something's wrong and don't try to deny it"- He held her arm gently but she knew he had no intention to let her go.

She felt she could trust him enough to tell him the truth but she wasn't ready to talk yet, there were too many problems, feelings and implication running around in her head; for the first time in her life she couldn't think straight and had no idea of what to do. She was clueless, a man she truly cared about was probably still waiting for her outside and by her side another man that made her head spin awaited for answers.

He saw her eyes, lost and despaired and resolved not to push her. Sometimes our wounds and problems are better off inside, sometimes is best to push them aside so we can deal with them when we are ready, because if we don't they might overwhelm us and take control of our lives. If she never opened up to him he would be okay, he settled with the opportunity to have a relationship with her. Even if she always kept part of her life hidden and pushed him away on certain issues, he would be the luckiest man on earth if he could only spend some precious time by her side.

-"It's okay I know it is hard for you to discuss your feelings, I won't force you to share if you're not ready. Still I want you to know that if you want to talk I'm one phone call away, no mater when or where."-

-"That is very kind of you Jack. But I have to go, Booth is waiting for me"- She changed fast and almost stumbled out of his house.

Miraculously her phone was still working in spite of the impact; she gave Booth a hurried apology and told him she would meet the rest of the team on the lab.

Dr Brennan stepped into the lab twenty minutes later. She looked as composed as always, nobody could guess she put on her make up on her car and changed in a hurry, neither they knew of the fight she had with Booth for he kept her rant in secret as long as she agreed to talk in private by the end of the day.

-"Sweetie are you okay?"- Angela told her worried. She might look like the usual Dr Brennan on the outside but she could see the fear in her friend's eyes.

"That is the question of the day" Temperance thought –"I'm fine Ange, thank you. Now can we please go back to work?"-

-"Sure Brennan but we are going to have a talk later"- Angela sensed something bad had happen and she believed that if she didn't do anything soon Brennan might have a collapse.

-"Okay we'll talk"- she said kindly, once her friend turned around she muttered –"But you'll have to get in line"- right behind the man she cared for the most and the one that drove her crazy with passion.

Hodgins was already processing samples when she arrived, how foolish was to believe they could have spent the day together. He wished to at least demonstrate how much he cared for her but if he wanted his world to be sane he had to keep it all hidden.

She walked behind him and he didn't dare to look, someone might see how his pupils dilated at the mere sight of her, he smelled her perfume and sensed her mere presence, as if they were two opposite magnets trying to bind.

"Don't look at her" he chastised himself "No matter how much it hurts".


	4. Talking

He bought her many gifts, almost every day. Whenever he walked by a store or jewellery he couldn't help to stumble on things that he thought would be perfect for her, the storage of items included from cute cheap trinkets like crystal figurines of butterflies to expensive jewels. By far the most extravagant part of his sad collection was a necklace that had a huge emerald on it; the chain was shaped as a gold snake with small incrustations of rubies that was expertly carved, it looked so real it even seemed to be protecting the stone. Granted, she was afraid of snakes but the stile of it matched hers, it was big and ethnic, it looked as if it were taken from a museum or an excavation on a faraway land

Unable to give her the presents without risking his professional life (an with Booth even his actual life might be in peril) he stored them in a large closet hoping one day he might be able to give them to her.

He bowed to whoever was out there that if luck favoured him enough to give him a chance of a relationship with Temperance he would give her presents every day, he wouldn't take her for granted to the point of not even expecting to be with her for the rest of his life. You never know what could happen in the future and love; no matter how deep doesn't nescesarely mean it will be eternal. They could be together now but maybe in the future she could go with someone else maybe Booth or another man, he could go with another woman who might even be Angela. Or maybe, just maybe they would grow old together with children, grandchildren and who knows how many pets.

A kinky side of him sensed she would look hot even with wrinkles and a few extra pounds but he chose not to dream about things that might not even be possible.

Staring at the random items, he thought of how useless they were as long as they stayed away from the grasp of the woman they belonged to.

It was the most ludicrous idea the one that came to him, but just because science and logic were a mayor part of his work line it didn't mean they had to rule all aspects of his life.

* * *

Rain poured over the city, the intense heat and moisture turned into a powerful summer storm. Optimistic people said the stronger the storm the shorter it was, if that was the case this one wouldn't last for long.

Inside the royal diner Brennan and Booth faced each other, the night was already falling but their day wasn't over yet.

The talk she had with Booth would be difficult, he knew she was hiding something and if she weren't careful well, she didn't even wanted to think about it.

They stared each other in a tense silence, the diner was crowded as usual but as they sat face to face on their favourite table it felt as if they were the only ones in the room, they were aware of the other's every move, nothing could distract them. Both knew that once they started talking they'll probably start fighting, he forced himself to be calm, he sensed she was slipping away from his grasp and the wrong words could push her further away.

She had always been so straight forward, this time he decided to do the same for he couldn't afford to be misunderstood.

-"Where were you last night Bones?"- He sounded like a father scolding his rebellious daughter.

-"With a friend"- She said plainly, indicating she didn't wanted to explain any further

-"Which friend? - He pushed, his voice was light but his body was tensing.

-"I can't tell you"- Her eyes begged for mercy, for him not to question any further.

-"Why not?"- He was far from backing out

-"Because you never like my friends"- She blurted out trying to deviate Booth from his dangerous line of questioning. Her nerves were on a breaking point, she feared she might not be able to keep the secret any more.

-"If by friends you mean guys that use you or are not being serious with you, then yes I don't like them, cause they are nothing but trouble and you deserve better"- The intensity on his stare made her feel vulnerable and guilty. She had to run away, not say another word. Maybe she should get a decent night of sleep and tomorrow she could start from scratch though she feared the collapse of her life was inevitable.

-"which proves my point. I'm too tired to have this conversation right now"- She was about to leave, he noticed the unshed tears on her eyes and blocked her way. He was enraged at the thought of a man hurting her feelings.

-"What did he do Bones? Did he hurt you?"- All he needed was a name and that guy would pick up what was left of his pieces with a spoon.

-"No he never would"- Booth had misunderstood her but before he had time to keep pushing her she took a topic that would make him dodge any further conversation.

-"Why do you care about what I do at night Booth?"- She said curious even when she knew the answer.

-"Because I'm worried abut you, I'm your partner and I watch your back it's my job"- he took a few steps back

-"Your job is over when you leave your office, whatever I do on my spare time is not your business"- now it was her turn to keep pushing.

-"Yes it is, I'm your friend as well remember?"- It was his turn to beg for mercy

-"I remember every time I'm with another man you keep poking your nose at it. Why?"-

-"I watch you back Bones, I always did and I won't stop whether you like it or not"- his face was inches from her, she could smell his breath.

If he kept with the subject she had to be more direct, she knew that with the next question he would have to avoid the entire subject or finally address the issues that had been pending between them for years.

-"This has nothing to do with your duty, you are just jealous face it."- She sounded sad.

He was dumbstruck by her straight declaration, it was the truth, he had been so jealous of the guys who dated her he couldn't help intervening sometimes. There were times when the other men weren't so bad but even then he had to mess with them in a subconscious level.

His phone rang and she read in the caller id his boss name, he thought that call saved him but instead it placed him in a crossroad:

-"It could wait Booth, you don't have to take it right now"- She said sternly.

Temperance couldn't help being angry, if she hadn't taken his call that morning she could have spent the entire day making love to Jack instead of analyzing the x- rays of a deceased bounty hunter later identified as Cristina Galloway.

If he took it he might dodge the awkward conversation but she would never bring the subject again and that meant they would never be more that just partners. He saw the ultimatum in her eyes and turned it off.

-"You're right, it can wait Bones. I care about you and that's why I act the way I do when you go out with other men"- He stared at her with a deep emotion that made her pulse fasten.

She stayed in front of him, in spite of being the one who wanted to talk no words were able to get out of her lips. Time was not relative but its perception was, that fact became palpable to her when time seemed to stop between them, in slow motion she saw his lips trying to move and say the words she had secretly hoped to hear for years, but a voice pierced through the moment and broke the spell:

-"Agent Booth, someone is calling you he says it's important"- the waitress said pointing at the phone resting over the bar.

-"You should take it Booth, if your boss called you here it has to be important"- She said worried. As he went outside to talk to his boss with his cell phone, they rushed to his car parked nearby but they were soaked by the time they got there, no umbrella was able to keep you dry in such a storm.

When he hung up he told her the bounty hunter had a boyfriend called Sam Watson. He was an ex con that went to jail on the charges of fraud but he was a suspect in a multiple homicide, there wasn't enough evidence to convict them back then for those charges but now he was being held on the boarder with Canada on a technicality. He had to rush to arrest him at least on the charges of breaking his parole.

-"This guy is dangerous Bones; I'm dropping you at your condo ant taking the first flight to the boarder. You stay here and make your squints gather all the evidence you can"- he said with his alpha male attitude.

-"This is too dangerous for you to go alone Booth, I won't let you"- there was no way she would stand back as he faced a dangerous probable murderer

-"I'm getting back up on this one, I'll be fine"- He wouldn't get to the plane until he knew she was safe, but he had a big discussion ahead of him on the ride to her place.

* * *

She was tired when she entered into her living room, worried beyond words for Booth she doubted she would get any sleep. He said he would be back in less than thirty six hours, she hoped he kept his word.

There was only one thing that could make her feel a little better, she contemplated her phone and after who knows how much time she finally dialled Jack's number.

-"Hello"- he answered, the watch on her wrist said two a.m. but he didn't sound sleepy even when she knew he hadn't slept that much last night.

-"Hi Jack, I know its isn't appropriate but I had to talk to you"-

-"Sure baby, what's up"- she had no idea of how happy he was that she called him.

-"I don't know, I guess I just had to hear your voice"- the romantic statement was followed by the last thing a man in love with her would want to hear –"Booth is gone to Canada and I'm worried"-

Hodgins understood her, besides Booth was his friend as well -"I can't blame you for it but he's a trooper Tempe, he'll make it you'll see. Besides I heard he took a few other agents with him."- He said kindly

-"I guess, Jack could we, hum, go for drinks? I know you are tired and so I'm I but I don't think I can sleep tonight and…" she said shyly –"All I want is to be by your side"-

-"Me too Tempe, I'll wait for you in the bar we hung up that Friday remember? But first do me a favour; check your garden I left a surprise there for you."-

She saw it and the phone almost drops from her hands, lots of crystal butterflies hung by the garden, the artificial light made them sparkle but she knew they were meant to be seen by the light of the sunset, he probably didn't know she would go home so late.

Temperance realized that when she talked to Booth and had tried to tell her how he felt, that it would be too easy to let the decision in his hands. If he faced the issue of their non-relationship and finally admitted his feelings she would be with him and if he didn't she would give up, go her own way and they would stay friends. In the end that reasoning was useless, even when he didn't admit his feelings it wasn't his fault, once again destiny (metaphorically speaking since it wasn't a valid concept) stepped between them. The choice wasn't his but hers; she was the one who had to decide whether to be with the man she loved and the one that made her truly happy.

One thing was sure, many times Booth said he would do anything for her and he had proved it more than once but he would never give her crystal butterflies.


	5. honesty

She intended to get wasted when she stepped into the bar, to rant with Jack about Booth's recklessness and maybe make love to him once more. She found him on a small table by the window looking at the night sky with an unopened bottle of wine and a set of two wine glasses, pinot noir the label said as she sat in front of him.

He saw her and smiled a genuine smile that made her melt. All the anger, frustration and worry was washed away by that simple gesture, right then there was nothing she could do about Booth, worrying and ranting wouldn't solve anything. She was beside Jack now and she felt that somehow everything would be alright so there was no point in making this evening more problematic than it had been already.

-"Hey baby, how are you doing?"- He said tenderly

-"Before I sat here not well but now"- she relaxed and giggled like a school girl. –"Its amazing Jack, I saw you and all my problems became meaningless somehow"-

-"I know how you feel baby; I go through the same thing when I'm by your side."- He held her hand and told her sympathetically.-"You said you needed to talk and you sounded so preoccupied, what do you wanna talk about?"-

-"I wanted to talk about how our relationship might result into total chaos and disrupt our workplace, how worried I was about Booth chasing a possible murderer or how Angela would react if she found out about what we did"- she looked at the night sky, the lights of the building's windows resembled a starry sky crashing over the pavement.

-"Okay, where do you wanna start?"- He was a little overwhelmed by her statement but the truth was that all the problems haunting her head were keeping him awake at night too.

-"Nowhere, I don't wanna talk about it right now; there will be time for that later after I put my mind in order. I rather talk about other things"- she bowed towards him seductively –"At least until we finish this wine bottle, then I'm gonna drag you to the next private place I find and I'll have intercourse until we collapse from exhaustion"-

He laughed, poured the wine on the glasses and gave her a toast

-"Then let's not waste time, bottoms up Tempe."- Both emptied their glass in one gulp

–"But what do you wanna talk about until we finish this?"- He grinned knowing what awaited him when the bottle was empty

-"Crystal butterflies and the men that break in another person's apartment to place them"- she said lifting an eyebrow. –"I thought I had a safe lock on my door"-

-"It's not bad, your door has many locks on the inside but on the outside it has only one."- He shrugged –"It wasn't so hard to open it, doing it without damaging the lock was a little tricky"- he said pouring more wine over the empty glasses, at this rate they might need another bottle.

-"How did you learn to do it?"- She asked exited.

He blushed and looked down –"let's just say that for a brief period of time during my teen age years I went through a "rebel without a cause" phase"-

She laughed loud enough to call the attention of the semi crowded bar, her spontaneous laughter made her a little self conscious because she couldn't help snorting, the wine was taking effect already, when she realized it she covered her mouth but kept snickering.

-"Are you saying, Dr Hodgins, that you were a bad boy?"- She whispered coyly

"More like a class clown trying to impress his classmates" he thought embarrassed but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes so he played along with the fantasy. He leaned into the table giving her his best imitation of James Dean

-"Yes baby; I was a very, very bad boy"- When he thought she might have bought it she laughed again, it was an infectious corky laughter that once again called the attention of everyone in the room, he couldn't help laughing with her.

Fifteen minutes after another wine bottle lay vacant on their table, they drank too fast and the exhaustion worsened their dizziness.

On very unsteady feet they managed to get inside his car, both lied down on the back seat knowing they were in no condition to drive. Feeling her soft body pressed by his he achieved the peace that had been eluding him all night. He doused cuddling by her side forgetting Tempe had promised him lots of lovemaking and that she always kept her word.

Her soft lips over the skin of his chest and stomach made him stir but didn't wake him that happened when she took his member and guided it to her mouth. Regardless of his sleepy mind his body reacted fast and by the time he woke up completely she was already on top of him, riding his length like he were a wild horse. She was so worm and soft, silken muscles massaged his cock without mercy. Her hair fell on her face, he was disappointed that she hadn't taken her clothes off; instead she just rode up her skirt. Tempe stopped wearing underwear since Hodgins kept tearing them.

All he wanted was to see that delectable white skin again, god forbid him if he ever forgot the exact shade of pink her nipples were or how beautiful her body looked when blushed and little drops of sweat made her glow. He reached to her chest trying to remove the shirt but her pace quickened, her pussy tugged on him all he could do was hold her hips as his climax hit him.

Now fully awake he tore her clothes off, when did it happen he couldn't know but when he saw her so defiant and exited he realized she belonged to him. Temperance didn't know she had sealed her faith in that car. He resolved to make her his at least for the present, in the future she might leave him and he accepted that, but right now she would be his. He wouldn't hide in the corner as Booth flirted with her or look the other way when she passed by his side, she was now with him and everyone would know that.

Temperance was a little scared now his eyes looked dark in the obscurity of the vehicle; his jaw was set and rigid. Once her clothing was reduced to tatters now spattered on the floor, his hungry hands on her torso were so intense they scraped her skin. Without preamble he parted her legs once more, her knees were thrown unceremoniously over each of his shoulders until her feet made contact with the side windows of the car. He was gentle when he penetrated her at first, but once she adjusted he thrust in her with a potency she had never experienced before, harder and harder he pumped into the tight passage, she told herself to relax her pelvic muscles or she would be very sore the next day. It would take only one word to make him stop yet in spite of the fear she enjoyed the wild ride he gave her. He was so deep inside of her it reverberated in the rest of her body, her breast jiggled up and down, involuntary grunts fought their way to her voice, it made no sense but she tasted blood on her mouth. Fear was slowly replaced by lust. The fierce, vacant expression on his face ignited a fire inside of her that turned all thoughts of rationality into ashes; she was reduced now to an animal consumed by the most primitive needs. Reaching his orgasm he bit her shoulder once more, the exact same spot he had on their first encounter, her nails scratched his back once more and she screamed so loud that called the attention of the few pedestrians that dared to go outside on such and ungodly hour. The tainted windows and the condensation caused by the heat inside concealed their identities but the way the expensive Italian car moved left no doubt of what was going on inside.

The light of the dawn filtered into the tainted windows of the car, Brennan woke up sprawled over Jack, looking around she saw what was rest of her clothes now turned into a bunch of rags dispersed on the back and front seats.

He gave her his jacket and discreetly drove Temperance to her condo so she could change, later they went to the royal diner to have breakfast. Beginning to feel like her self again she asked him why he had been so serious all morning:

-"what happened? Are you mad at me?"-

He held her hand soberly -"No Tempe, but I can't keep doing this anymore, I'm tired of hiding and to be honest we shouldn't. We are single and if we want to be together nothing should stop us"- since the royal diner was usually crowded with people they knew it was almost a public statement that they were together.

She sighed at the realization that he was right, pretend nothing happened between them and stop seeing each other wasn't an option anymore. It was a matter of time until someone saw them and it would be unfair for Angela if she found out by a co worker's gossip.

-"I'll talk to Angela today, she should hear it from me"- she felt defeated, betrayed by the basic emotions she fought all her life.

-"I'll be by your side Tempe, we are both in this together"- he knew how hard it would be for all of them.

-"I appreciate the gesture but this is something I need to do myself"- she distangled her hand from his land left the diner with a heavy heart.

………………………………………………

Booth was a little disappointed with his trip to Canada; Sam Watson tried to escape when she saw the FBI was after him. Booth had lots of trouble catching that huge muscular guy covered in prison tattoos that ran like a lightning; nonetheless Booth was a natural athlete. After a few minutes running though the crowded airport he jumped on top of him and cuffed the fugitive with the help of a few judo manoeuvres.

Things got pathetic when he read Watson his charges. At first the suspect refused to believe Cristina was dead; once he was confronted with the pictures of the crime scene he cried hysterically throwing a huge fit in the airport. Now in a complete state of shock the prisoner rocked back and forward in his seat, crying like a baby with his head in his hands next to Booth and other FBI agents. "So this is the big bad murderer" he thought sarcastically, his loud sobs startled him every now and then. It would be a very long flight home.

* * *

It was six thirty in the morning and Dr Brennan was already in the platform analyzing the remains of Cristina Galloway hoping to find more evidence of the murder. She knew the COD was a gunshot to the chest; Angela had been working on the possible scenario based on the trajectory. The corpse was found on a federal park already eaten by wildlife, many bits of flesh missing exposing the bones. Dr. Brennan knew Galloway was athletic, strong and given the damage on her inner ear almost deaf, Booth's report said she had been in the military until while stated in Falluyah an explosion damaged the bony labirinth and the coqulea. Forced to an early retirement at thirty two years old she became a bounty hunter and fell in love with one of the suspects she was supposed to track down.

Brennan hadn't slept more than a few hours for the last weeks, a hangover crushed her head but still she felt satisfied. These would be the last hours she would be able to work quietly before talking to Angela and causing chaos on the lab, the bones in front of her provided the sense of stability her life was loosing.

* * *

Angela was worried looking at her friend, she was clearly exhausted, those big blue eyes always brought the sympathy out of her.

-"Sweetie are you okay? You look terrible"- she said in her sweet voice

-"There is something I need to tell you and it won't be easy, I've always been bad for expressing myself in words that are not misunderstood or offensive"- her throat constricted and she forced herself not to cry –"I don't think there is an easy way to say this so I have no choice to say it as it is, I'm having an affair with Hodgins."- She braced herself for the upcoming fight.

-"What?"- she froze when hearing her but then chuckled –"Sweetie if this is your idea of a joke you are being terrible at it"- Angela saw her friend's face and realized it was true.

Words failed Angela as if her lips were disconnected from her brain, eventually she was able to form a coherent phrase: -"How on earth did that happened?"-

Brennan gathered all her courage and continued-"About a month ago we…"-

-"Oh fuck! You were HER!"- She yelled out loud

-"I don't know what you mean"- Brennan shook her head

-"He's been smiling like an idiot ever since, I knew he was with someone but I could have never thought it would be you, no wonder he never said who was with him. I can't believe you were together for over a month behind my back"- her mouth was opened in shock and a few tears ran down her cheek

-"We weren't Ange, we had a single encounter then we decided to leave it behind us, it wasn't until a few days ago that we relapsed"- she said apologetically

-"So that's all it was for you? A booty call?"- Again Angela raised her voice

-"At first"- Brennan whispered

-"Oh so now is more that that? Are you in love or something? What about Booth? I thought you loved him"- Angela slammed her hands on the table

-"He doesn't know, besides we are only partners"- she answered trying to avoid another sad issue

-"Don't come to me with that bullshit you are in love with him, I'm not gonna stand your little clueless act right now"- Her best friend growled

For the first time in her life Brennan spoke openly bout her relationship with Booth, it was time to be honest.

-"I confronted him about it, I don't think he made up his mind yet"- Brennan admitted bitterly

-"So you are taking your revenge on Jack, I won't stand it Bren I won't let you be with him"- Angela wiped the angry tears from her face.

-"Why?"- She implored

-"Because you love Booth, not him. I know Jack he is romantic and bohemian, he's gonna fall head over feet and then you are gonna realize that you belong with Booth. You'll be with him as you're supposed to and Jack will be heartbroken again. I did that to him once already the least I can do is preventing it from happening again."- It was time for the young artist to admit her own guilt.

-"Angela you can't stop me from seeing him"- she said sadly

-"Try me"- Angela defied

-"If there was a way to keep us apart we would have done it already, we tried to stay away Angela you have no idea of how much, but we can't stop ourselves anymore."- It was then that Brennan realized she had made her choice, the answers her head couldn't provide were given by her own words.

There was an honest desperation in Brennan's statement; Angela read the guilt on her best friend's face. If a strong, determined scientist like her admitted something was out of her control then maybe whatever was between her and Jack had to be more serious than a plain crush, she also knew her friendship meant a lot for Brennan and how terrified she was of losing her, yet she still was brave enough to confront her.

-"I need some time to think sweetie; there is too much noise inside my head right now. we'll talk later and sort this thing out. As for us, we're fine. You're still my best friend, no matter what"- Both hugged and cried a little

The smile of relief she gave her calmed some of Angela's anger. She would have to analyze the situation a find a way to make things right, whether that would be before or after killing Jack she hadn't yet decided.


	6. guilt

Wendell spoke to Saroyan about his findings, Dr Brennan found several injuries on the body that were not perimortem but were inflicted near the time of death.

- "Dr Brennan says all wounds are consistent with fights, the wounds weren't caused by stabbing but probably by blunt objects perhaps even another person's hand"-

- "So there is a chance that whoever caused those wounds might be involved on her murder"-

-"Yeah, Booth has nothing on Watson but Brennan said he's tracking the victim's assistant, she was spending some time with her family in Iowa"-

There was a lot of yelling coming from Angela's office, the shutters were opened and everyone saw she was having a huge fight with Hodgins, Wendell approached quietly without entering inside, the fight between them was personal but at this rate it might turn physical.

-"Of all the women that are available Jack, of the thousands in this city alone and the millions around the world why did you have to choose my best friend?"- She yelled throwing her arms around

-"It's not like I chose her Ange, It just happened"- He said as calmly as possible

-"Oh so one day you woke up and realized you wanted to be with Bren"- Her dark eyes seemed willing to drill through his skull

He remembered that Saturday when he woke up by her side

-"Kinda"- he said ashamed

She remembered when she first kissed Wendell, love swept her fast and suddenly, she should understand after all she did dated his friend.

-"If this is some kind of revenge for me and Wendell then mission accomplished"- She spat

-"What?! Are you out of your mind? I would never use Tempe for something like that. Look I don't know how to explain it just happened!"- He was begining to loose his temper

-"I know Bren, she never gives the first move, as liberated as she is she always waits until the other person tells her his intentions and he even has to be direct about it because she sucks at reading hints. That means it had to be your idea"- She pointed at him

-"It was, I'm the one that asked her. We tried to stay away but we couldn't, and I don't want to anymore, I wanna fall in love again even if that means I'm gonna get in trouble for it"- Now he was raising his voice too

She begun to cry,

-"I know I have no right to preach about it, I did the same to you and you forced that queasy little small of yours and said everything was fine when everyone knows it was not. I should do the same but I can't do it, I can't stay with my arms crossed as you do this. Bren is in love with Booth Jack, can't you see that?"-

-"Of course I do, a blind man would! But if I can be with her even for a short period of time it's still worth it."- he said regaining some control

-"So when Booth takes her away from you you'll just sit there and take it? Wouldn't it break your heart?"- She said holding his hands

-"It would, but I've learnt that no matter how much a broken heart hurts in the end you get over it. You fall on your ass then you stand up, sweep the dust on your clothes and move on so you can love again. You taught me that"- His vibrant blue eyes shone with bliss

Her sorrow was so strong, between guilt and hurt she could not stand any longer.

Brennan saw the fight as well and rushed to her office, the big scene had drawn all the squints by her door. Angela saw the guilt in both Brennan and Hodgins eyes but she also saw determination, she could bitch all she wanted but none of that would keep them apart. Behind Brennan Booth stood looking worried, she asked her best friend

-"Does he know?"- She said looking at Booth

-"No, I was about to tell him"- Bren said sadly

-"Do it, he deserves to hear it from you"- She tried to hide her anger but failed.

Booth drove Brennan to the apartment the victim's assistant was renting, he was afraid to ask what was going on between Angela and Bones, he sensed the artist was mad at Bones and that Hodgins was somehow involved in all of this, but in spite of his fear for whatever drama he was about to get involved into he did.

-"What was going on in there? Why was Angela crying Bones?"- He probed kindly

-"I think she's angry at me, I've done something…"- she searched for the right word –"inappropriate to her"-

-"What did you do?"- He said dreadful, Booth had no idea of what was going on but he didn't like it one bit.

-"I slept with her former fiancée"- she admitted uncomfortably.

-"The tall big birimbau guy? I thought he wasn't even in the country"- he said outraged, first Cam and now Bones, that man had to learn how to keep it in his pants.

-"No, with Hodgins"-

-"What?!!"- His eyes seemed to pop out from his face and his jaw dropped to the floor. Many pieces of the puzzle fell inside his head at once and for a split second he lost control of the car, the tires screeched before the vehicle regained its normal pace.

"Where were you last night?" he asked her before going to Canada "with a friend" she had responded, no wonder Bones had been so secretive about it.

Thousand words wanted to blurt out from his mouth but he kept it shut. He couldn't afford to react the way he wanted, yelling at her of what a stupid decision it was to be with Hodgins would only drive her away from him and further into his friend's arms, he would have to cool himself and think of a better plan to show her how wrong their relationship was.

Before planning his course of action he had to know how stupid Hodgins had been.

-"Was it just sex?"- He squirmed at the mention of the word and cleared his throat –"I mean are you guys serious or something?"-

There was a sweet sadness in her soul when she admitted it –"No, it's not just sex"- she omitted the fact that it had indeed started that way and skipped the crazy hot lovemaking part, she knew Booth had severe repressions towards sex. –"We are together as a couple"- Her smile was honest but so was the hint of sadness in her eyes.

"So he's not such an idiot" Booth thought, Hodgins took her seriously, had he just used her for sex Booth would have solved the issue with an old fashioned beating until the guy had to beg for whatever was left of his life. Instead Hodgins wanted a serious relationship with her and judging by the fight with Angela he seemed willing to face the consequences of his actions. Using the entomologist as a punching bag was tempting but it would only worsen an already complicated situation, not to mention Bones would be angry at him and take Hodgins's side.

He had always worked well under pressure, it was time for him to cool down and get things straight.

-"Right now we have to talk to Caroline Raye, she said Cristina had many enemies and a few of them were dangerous, as for Sam Watson Sweets said he had a psychological breakdown, he should be better by now so will talk to him tomorrow . Later on we'll have a discussion about you and Mr. Bugs and slime"- He sounded hollow and deceitfully calm.

Brennan was never good for reading people except for Booth, she knew he was mad. The tension of his every muscle showed in spite of his suit, his eyes twitched a little and his knuckles turned white as he grabbed the steering wheel almost as if he could break it. Brennan had to be prepared for yet another difficult discussion, yet the best way to deal with crises is to handle the situations one by one. Their personal problems would have to wait; now they had a case to solve.

Caroline was a petite blonde in her early twenties, her face showed fresh marks of recent tears; apparently she really cared for her boss. She told them Christina had sent her away for a few days for her own safety; apparently she was chasing down dangerous criminals.

-"These are the people she was tracking down; the ones on top are the most violent."- The girl gave Booth a large file filled with pictures; he had a lot of work ahead of him.

-"I appreciate it Miss Raye, is there anyone who isn't here and might have a problem with her? Maybe a relative or a boyfriend."-

She laughed bitterly –"Are you telling me you are suspicious of Sam?"-

-"He is so far our first suspect"- Brennan chipped in

-"Sam wouldn't hurt a fly, he got those tattoos in prison and likes to work out but he's actually a very sweet guy who likes to pretend to be tough"- She shook her head.

-"He was the suspect of a few murders when he was arrested, and elderly couple was beaten to death along with two of their security guards who were well trained in martial arts"- Booth told her gravely

-"He was a suspect because he worked on their security company. He was sent by that company to replace their safety box by a new model. That couple was stinking rich and a little senile; they saw the company logo and trusted him. They removed the money from their safety box but forgot they had many other valuables on the house, he stole many of the small antiques cluttered in their manor and hid them with the equipment, I bet they didn't even noticed they were missing. That night robbers entered the manor and killed them, Sam was the last one to see them alive so he was investigated and the cops found the stolen items in his place. He was sent to jail for the robbery, his lawyer managed to lower the charges to fraud. There was never enough evidence to convict him of murder because he didn't do it, he just had bad luck."- Caroline shrugged

-"But he was caught trying to flee the country, if he wasn't involved why did he broke his parole?"- Brennan asked

-"Sam always broke his parole and forgot to go to his hearings that's how he met Cristina!"- Then the assistant saddened –"He was leaving because she broke up with him, he wanted to go away as far as possible"-

-"Why did they broke up?"- Brennan was curious

-"Sam and Chris had a great relationship but she was really independent and had some serious trust issues, they had a few problems with that. I'm pretty sure they would have sorted things out if Brendan hadn't got in the picture"-

-"Who's Brendan?"- Brennan asked

-"Brendan Braunwald, he was in the military with her and they were in a pretty serious relationship, then Christina was sent home over a year ago because her hearing damage while he stayed on Iraq, until six months ago when he was discharged. He wanted to go back to her and was insistent about it, to make things worse she still had a thing for him. he flirted with her all the time and harassed Sam which in turn fought with Brendan all the time"- She begun to cry again –"It was like a huge soap opera in her office, you know how love triangles can be. I'm gonna miss it."- She composed herself a little and continued –"One day Cristina had enough of them fighting and broke up with both, Brendan found a job with the local police and Sam made arrangements to leave"-

-"Could Brendan be able to kill Christina? I mean he was probably angry at her"- Booth asked sympathetically.

-"No! I don't think either of them killed her but they were probably responsible for her death."- Caroline wiped a few tears from her face –"Chris was crushed, she took refuge in her work and when you're a bounty hunter that means a serious risk. she went after the meanest men she could get. Most of the times she subdued them but I think one day she burned the candle on both ends and that got her killed"- She cried even louder and asked gently asked Booth and Brennan to leave, he gave her his card and told her to call him if she remembered anything.

The picture in the top of the file was of a notorious thug named Alexandrei Nikov who was involved with the Russian mob; he was accused of several murders and a runaway from justice. If Galloway went after him and he got to her first he would have easily killed her, before chasing at somebody who was already hiding from the law Booth and Brennan made a visit to officer Braunwald.

Officer Braunwald was a slender man in his mid thirties, his haircut and posture gave away his military training. His impeccable references and talent would soon turn him into a detective, when Booth went to the police station and asked him about Christina he rolled his eyes.

-"What kind of trouble did she get into this time?"-

-"She was found dead in a park nearby, murdered."- Booth told him somber

Brendan's eyes widened, his lips trembled and he begun hyperventilating. He shook his head and told them almost imploring.

-"You are wrong, she can't be dead. Maybe there was a mistake in the identification"-

-"Even when the remains were badly decomposed when found the identification was made through specific measures, accurate facial reconstruction and dental records, not to mention DNA."- Brennan told the officer a little offended that someone would question her lab's abilities; Booth read her mind and whispered to her that the poor man was in denial.

Brendan excused himself and ran to the nearest bathroom, his gags and wretches could be heard a few meters away.

An hour later the chief of the precinct gave Booth another file, he was an overweight elder man who in spite of being jaded for his daily work still had a glimpse of determination in his eyes.

-"Brendan says the last time he saw Christina she asked him information about a Russian mobster named Alexandrei Nikov and a buddy of his, Yuri Korsakoff. All the information about those sleaze bags is here, I don't care about who gets the credit for this just get them. Braunwald loved that woman and he needs some closure on this."-

Booth thanked the chief and led Brennan outside, his hand was at the small of her back but for the first time she didn't feel a shiver on her spine.

…………………………………………………

The heat on the streets was smothering; the asphalt refracted the cruel sunlight of the noon raising steam that distorted the images of the city. Brennan's skin complained painfully at the sunlight's abuse, she wished her dermis could produce more melanin.

Instead of driving her to the lab Booth took her to the royal diner so they could have lunch, he always did that when he wanted to bounce ideas with her.

-"So I'm crossing Braunwald from the suspect's list"- Booth said looking at the window.

-"Why? You don't have enough evidence whether to determine if he is guilty or not"-

-"As far as you told me the only evidence we have is the bullet from the nine millimeter that killed her, which isn't registered so we don't have evidence for basically anything right now. We need lots of detective work to prevent this case from getting cold, as for Braunwald his grief was honest, besides I've seemed guys faking tears but never vomit"- he chugged his steak, his fork stabbed the plate without mercy.

-"Since it is an autonomical bodily function it makes sense"- she sighed –"Cam saw several gashes on the body that were made post mortem, consistent with being dragged several miles perhaps by the murderer or an animal, Hodgins is analyzing the particulates found on the wounds to determine were she was murdered, if we find the actual crime scene we might discover more evidence"- she saw his reaction to Jack's name, he gave her and angry stare and his knife fell from his hands. Hoping that eventually there wouldn't be such awkwardness every time she mentioned the entomologist, Brennan wanted to change the subject before things got even worse.

-"I tell you what Bones, right after work I'll take you to your place and we'll have some beers, maybe we can get our creative juices flowing and crack this thing up"- It wasn't a suggestion, he commanded it.

Brennan didn't understand half of what he said but it was probably better if she agreed. She wanted to go with Jack and have sex for the rest of the night, his touch was imprinted on her skin and her mouth went dry at the remembrance of his lips all over her private places. Nonetheless Booth was clearly angry at her yet he took the news of her affair quite well, she had hurted him deep in his soul and pride.

Oblige to his alpha-male attitude was the last thing a strong willed woman like her wanted to do but she owed him at least a night to be his partner. At least one more case acting like nothing had happened, because from now on things would change around the lab and in the relationship with the FBI agent, no more staying late for drinks and no more working on weekends unless it was absolutely necessary.

She wanted to live, to enjoy having a relationship, to wake up by a man's side and not by herself with only heated fantasies of lovemaking to show for it. It was then when Dr Brennan acknowledged the fact she was no longer afraid to share her life with someone else.

……………………………………………….

Camille splashed cold water on her face, her reflection on the mirror showed someone tired and overwhelmed. Angela made no progress in the recreation of Galloway's murder, the artist simply stared at the computer with a blank expression on her face, no one could blame her since her best friend was sleeping with her ex boyfriend not to mention that soon she would have to find another entomologist since Booth would kill the current one. This was the tip of the iceberg the chaos in her lab was growing on intensity and it had no sign of stopping anytime soon.

The rumor spreaded like a flame over gasoline, she could still hear the hushed whispers and giggles that resounded in every hallway.

She wanted to kill Brennan with her bare hands, all those years being a role model for work ethics and now she turned an efficient workplace upside down.

"And who are you to judge?" her own reflection told her, well aware it was a plain visualization she convinced herself she wasn't crazy. The woman in the mirror told her raging

"She isn't the first to sleep around with her co-workers, you jumped in the sack with Booth as soon as you got here and almost fire Brennan knowing the rest of her friends would go with her. Jack and Angela were like monkeys in heat sneaking to the janitor's closet, and that would still be the case but nooo you had to sleep with Grayson and cause a fight that broke them up. Yes Camille you are the reason they're no longer together. Then Angela slept with Wendell, an intern almost ten years younger than her and who is by the way a friend of Hodgins! And now you are outraged because he is with Brennan? Look at yourself before looking down at the people around you"

Cam swallowed the lump in her throat and admitted her own guilt, then she asked that bossy reflection of hers if she had any ideas of what to do.

"By a friend for all of them, listen to their problems and try not to let them kill each other. Remind every one that all human beings screw up and that they should forgive because one day they'll need to be forgiven".

-"Dr Saroyan are you okay? You have been staring at the mirror for a long time"- Dr Brennan asked waking her from the trance, she didn't even see her enter the bathroom.

-"Hum yeah I was… never mind."- Cam listened to her inner conscience and asked the anthropologist –"So you are with Hodgins now, how is that working for you?"-

-"We are very compatible sexually and share many interests, so far it is quite satisfying"- She smiled proudly

The M.D laughed at her blunt honesty -"I think you are making a huge mistake, but it doesn't matter what I think, right?"- Brennan looked hurt at her comment but then giggled when Cam gave her a big hug –"Welcome to the human race Dr Brennan, we fail all the time but at least we have fun doing it"-


	7. instinct

Wisdom

Booth was going to Brennan's place tonight to have a few beers and talk about the case, it wasn't something they hadn't done before but now Hodgins found a problem with it. He noticed how close Booth had been around Brennan all day, he hadn't missed a single opportunity to put his hands on her, a spontaneous hug, a casual hand on her back or shoulders and the trademark smile that made all girls drop their panties.

He should have known that once his relationship with Brennan became public Booth would try to break them apart. He had stayed the entire night in her place before and nothing had ever happened, but things were different now. Not because of his flirting, that usually happened whenever she was in a relationship but because for the first time Brennan wasn't responding at it. She no longer saw at him with dreamy eyes at his shenanigans, her smile was more polite than happy at his jokes and instead of melting at his random touches she tensed. Booth sensed things with the entomologist were a lot more serious than everyone thought so his approach was aggressive, Hodgins was afraid he might actually try something tonight and Brennan would fall for it.

What was he supposed to do? Usually it was the right moment for a man to stand up and confront the guy that was obviously flirting with his girlfriend, now if that guy is a trained sniper who has easily taken down six men at the same time without breaking a sweat that scenario is more complicated, not to mention he is officially Brennan's friend and he didn't have much right to boss her around about it, the final stab to his heart was the fact that Booth was in spite of all a good man and he would never do anything to Brennan she didn't give permission to do. He swallowed his pride and looked the other way; he would work late tonight to keep his mind from wondering what would happen in her apartment.

His plans changed when he saw Brennan in her office, concentrated on her laptop with the cutest frown on her face. Booth entered in there with neutrality and both begun to talk, by their body language it seemed to be a light fun conversation. At some point he placed his palms on her desk and leaned over, her his lips a millimetre from hers and he told her something, probably a witty and adorable comment. She smiled at him but then shook her head and looked down, she hadn't taken the bait.

Hodgins brain told him to let it go, that he was lucky enough if Booth hadn't beaten the shit out of him already but his heart and probably the little head below his belt leaded his actions, as she went out to Angela's office he intercepted her.

-"Hi baby, how bout I stop by your house tonight?"- He had some vain hope that she would ditch Booth to stay with him

-"I'm sorry but Booth is coming over tonight so we can work on the case"-

She saw the desperation on his face and pleaded –"From now on we'll work at lunch so mi nights are free, but this night in particular I promised Booth we could work together, it will be just this once"-

He was about to resign when he thought of something –"At what time does he stop by your place?-

-"About eight thirty"- she said with a half smile, seeing the gears of his mind at work

-"its five o clock, why don't you wrap things up a little early and we go to your place? When Booth gets there if you guys wanna be alone to do your thing"- he winced at his own choice of words –"I'll head off to my own house and leave you to work on the case"-

She had a few thoughts of what they could do on those hours previous to Booth's arrival, her body was already celebrating Hodgins idea, her tongue had a mind of its own as it licked her lips and spoke on a soft sultry voice.

-"Sounds great, I'll speak to Angela and then I'm heading to my place, you have to analyze the rest of the spores and samples you found on the victim, so I'll wait for you there. Don't take too long"- She winked

-"I could check on those later"- He couldn't wait to be with her, spores were the last thing on his mind

-"Of course not, that would be irresponsible. You must give me your results by tomorrow morning"- She said in her no nonsense tone and left. That woman was so good at compartmentalizing, one minute she was flirting with him causing an erection on his pants and the next minute she was the usual cold anthropologist that ruled supreme on the lab.

Brennan entered into Angela's office almost on her tip toes, the artist stood rigid staring at the large screen of her computer.

-"Did you manage to make the recreation of the murder?"- Brennan said almost timid, her friend's muscles were so stiff that when the artist turned to look at her she almost felt as if Angela were about to bounce and attack her.

-"Yeah, I got it"- she said coldly –"The bullet entered in her left shoulder and lodged at her pelvis, so either she was shot from above assuming she was killed in that park as in someone shooting from a tree…"- Angela showed her the recreation.

-"It doesn't fit, in order to cause an injury in that angle the shooter would have to be in a very awkward position; no one would shoot that way"-

-"OR she would have been slouching hidden in a bush, as in spying some one, like one of the criminals she cased. Her target found out and shot her"-

-"That seems compatible, I'll tell Booth"- Brennan turned to leave, she didn't expect any friendly conversation with the artist anytime soon.

-"Bren wait"- the anthropologist turned on her feet fearing a fight or a hurtful comment.-"I've been speaking to Sweets and Cam, they made me look at things in a different light. I won't say I'm okay with you and Jack being together 'cause it would be a lie, but eventually I will. I think we all need some time to put things in order, just do me a favour try not to be too obvious around the lab."-

-"I won't, in fact I see that a relationship with a co worker can lead to distraction and decrease productivity"- she remembered the conversation she had with Jack right before entering.

-"I don't know what the hell are you talking about but I don't wanna hear it"- Angela turned her back at her end continued to work

* * *

Brennan was making a few snacks for both Hodgins and Booth, she feared Jack would be later than expected since he still had work to do but she wouldn't let their relationship affect their careers.

He knocked on the door as soon as she put the crepes on the oven. She wanted to make him wait until she could put on something more fitting than and oversized shirt and well worn short pants. He didn't wait for her to stall him instead he casually stepped inside.

Temperance didn't wanted to talk about work but she needed to make sure he hadn't neglected the samples, she questioned him about it and he told her

-"The spores are well distributed on the entire park, she was probably killed not far from where we found it, I still have a few sediments from her wounds and clothing but those won't be ready until tomorrow"-

She nodded and kissed him moaning at his taste, he hugged her tight while caressing her thighs, exposed by her small shorts. He dragged her until the back of her legs was pressed into the kitchen counter forcing her to sit while he stood between her legs. She gasped at the impact freeing her mouth from his, Jack's lips lunged at the exposed space of skin in her slender neck, kissing and sucking at the delicate flesh. She smelled like cinnamon, laurel and other delicious things. Hodgins nipped at her pulse point making her head tilt back then went a little lower, trapping her clavicle between his teeth while his tongue lavished at her tasty flesh.

His pelvis thrusted between her parted thighs trying to penetrate her, forgetting they were both fully clothed. He had to separate himself a little so he could take off his pants, that second allowed Temperance to catch her breath.

–"I look like a mess Jack, wait for me in my bedroom and I'll change"- Maybe this once he would be able to see her lingerie before he tore it down.

-"Are you kidding me? You look wonderful"- he placed a butterfly kiss at the corner of her mouth

-"No I don't, let me put on something more appropriate, I have something from Victoria's secret"- She smiled coyly

-"If you wanna turn me on more than you already have you'll have to do as I say"- he told her panting, he had that crazed dark look she had seen before, taking a step back as he took off his shirt and unbuttoned his pants. Then he gave her a strict command

-"Take off those shorts and your slippers"-

Her legs were shaking from excitement, he looked so stern and confident but his friendly smile told her it was just a mischievous game, it was a power play and she was intrigued at what could he do if she played submissive.

She obeyed and slowly removed the shorts after tossing her slippers aside, not for erotic effect but because she had trouble controlling her hands.

Now left in her shirt and white plain cotton panties he thought he would die out of happiness, her eyes inflamed with desire and her hair falling rebellious over her face. She was standing there obedient, waiting for his next order; he was helpless at her large blue eyes. It was ludicrous to think he would be able to ever let go of her, if Booth ever wanted to take her away from him it would be from his dead cold hands.

-"Now take off your underwear"- His voice raspy, his mouth dry

She did as told, not before turning her back on him, then bent over dragging the panties below her ankles and then stepping out of them, with her legs partly spread, letting her ass and cunt exposed. She was wet; he could now clearly see it and it was more than he could take.

–"No more games baby, this is for real"- He stated and then lunged at her, her chest landed roughly over the kitchen sink. His hands forced the old shirt open, tiny buttons rained over the floor but he didn't removed it , the fabric covered the delicious skin he so wanted to see but it cooled him down enough otherwise he would have cum already. He plunged inside of her worm silky entrance over and over; his right hand caressed her soft breasts, when he accidentally scraped her nipples she begged for more. His left hand held her stuck to the counter, he didn't want to loose himself in the white velvet of her back, and he wanted some distance between their torsos so he could move more freely. He gyrated his hips with care and electric sensations that movement triggered made her scratch the cold granite of the kitchen, her legs spread more allowing him to go even deeper.

The fever in his mind blinded him; his animal instinct overpowered every conscious thought on his brain. He removed his member from her sweet pussy and placed its head a little behind, at the entrance of her ass. He caressed the lovely mounds of her cheeks, waiting until she relaxed a little. She lowered her head, her hard nipples pressed into the cold counter lifting her ass almost imperceptibly and moved slightly backwards, he took it as an invitation and slowly he entered inside her, inch by inch. She moaned in delight, sometimes also in pain, once he was completely inside of her he waited so she could adjust. It was her who begun with the back and forth motion, his hands on her hips until eventually he was the one that led the pace, gentle at first. It was more strained for her than the last time they did something like that, most likely because now it was him who got lost in a wild wave of erotic catharsis, so his hand reached her aching pussy and he begun to fondle it in an infinite tenderness with a developing neutrality that could only come from frequent practice. It was when she begun to scream in wild ecstasy that he sped up until all they could both be aware of was their passion.

* * *

The silky feel of the shower gel combined with the hot water in her bathroom felt great on their sore muscles, the tips of her fingers drew lazy soapy circles on his chest and abs. He kissed her with loving sweetness then turned her around and put on some almond shampoo on her head. The nerve endings on her scalp sent tiny shivers that reverberated in the tips of her toes; she held his forearms for balance. His breath tickled the sensitive skin on her neck when he spoke: -"I know you need to crack this case baby, do what you need to so you can pull this off. When the case is solved I'm gonna take you to a real date, no more hiding for us"-

-"Sounds nice"- she turned around to face him –"But we have to be discrete Jack. I don't want to disrupt our workplace more than we did already, besides I promised Angela and she seems very affected by all of this"-

-"Fair enough. When we're at work we'll act as if nothing had ever happened, but you have to promise me that when you leave the lab you leave your work in it. I'm not gonna let your job mess with what we have."- By job he meant Booth

-"Those terms sound reasonable, I accept them"-

They leaned for a kiss but halfway from the contact loud knocking on the door stopped them. Booth called her name, the sound of the shower had covered the initial calling and he sounded by now very impatient. She ran outside, grabbed a silk robe with Japanese engraving on it and threw it on, Hodgins picked his clothing from her kitchen floor and changed as fast as he could, stumbling and falling backwards when his socks tangled with the legs of his pants. She burst the door open and apologized, explaining she was on the shower.

Her hair dripped water on the floor and her robe, the fabric stuck to her curves as if it were maid of paint. Knowing she was naked below her light garment lightened the mood of the tired FBI agent; he almost drooled when the robe opened with her movements because she hadn't tied it properly. He smiled at her coyly and locked the door behind him saying –"It's all right you'll make up for it later on"-.

The sexual innuendo of his behaviour activated Hodgins territorial instinct; he stood in the room with his arms crossed waiting for Booth to acknowledge his presence. When the agent's eyes laid on him the room became deadly silent, there was pain, anger and disappointment in his face. Brennan felt guilty but then remembered Hodgins had every right to be there, trying to break the tense silence she told Booth Jack was just about to leave, as on cue Hodgins obeyed. Before crossing the threshold of her door he looked at her lovingly and smiled, she responded with the same gesture.

Booth acted casual and told Brennan he had forgot a file on his car, he said he would be back in a few minutes which would give her time to change and pick up the clothes she left thrown in the floor.

Hodgins was walking through the hallway right outside of Temperance's doorstep when a sudden force crushed him against the wall. Booth was standing right in front of him, with a single hand he grabbed Jack by the collar of his T-shirt and lifted him a few inches above the ground. His knuckles pressed hard against his sternum and even when it didn't actually cut his air supply it did cause a sense of choking. All the scientist could do was grabbing the agent's wrist to try to get him of his throat, literally.

-"What the hell are you doing here?"- Booth spat

-"I was asking her for a date"- Hodgins said bravely even when his common sense begged him to ask for forgiveness and run the hell out of there.

-"A date? How strange, it seems to me you wanted more than that"- His voice was raw and dark, his deep brown eyes burned with the intensity of hell itself

-"I did, I mean I do"- He was resigned; Booth could beat him up if he wanted but that wouldn't change a thing. Hodgins would pick up his fallen teeth and broken limbs and still crawl back to Tempe's bedroom. Women were like that, they made all fears, troubles and dangers meaningless compared to their companionship.

-"You do?! What do you want then? Because if you don't have the right intentions about her then I'm gonna get real angry and trust me on this, buddy, that's the last thing you want"- he growled.

-"The only thing I want is to make her happy"- Hodgins looked at Booth, he had always been good at reading people, his whole career was based on that. Looking at his friend's eyes he knew Hodgins was telling the truth, he loved her, really loved her.

He loosened the grip on his captive and the entomologist was finally able to breath, a few coughs later he could look at the other man's eyes again. Booth looked hurt beyond words and vulnerable, he pointed at his chest and told him almost on the verge of tears even when his eyes were still dry –"You have just made a promise, a commitment to make her happy and NEVER hurt her, the moment you break that promise you'll hear from meant that will be the last thing you'll do"-

Hodgins nodded solemn and told him –"I give you my word dude, good luck on the case"- then he walked out of her apartment leaving his girlfriend alone with one of the best friends he ever had. Seeing for himself how much Booth loved her he felt like the worse piece of garbage ever conceived by mankind, not that it would be enough to stop him. Nothing would.


	8. sleep

Author's note: I haven't updated in a while basically for two reasons, one are RLI such as a new job, a career crossroad and a bad case of the flu and the other reason is that ever since the 100 episode and the last episode of season 5 I grew tired of the show so I won't watch it anymore. I'll continue the story for the readers who liked it and want to see how it ends, the chapters will be shorter because of my tight schedule but if possible I'll update much more often.

…

Things felt almost normal again as Booth and Brennan ate dinner in her living room, sitting on her thick rug and enjoying their usual banter. It felt so perfect sometimes, their minds and souls in total synchronicity, those moments where words were senseless because they were unnecessary and gestures spoke louder than any speech or word ever written.

Perfection of course was feeble, it disappeared as fast as it came and its price was higher that she was ready to pay.

-"Angela is really hurt Bones, are you aware of what you're doing?"- His soulful eyes left her feeling lost and vulnerable

-"I don't know what you mean"- she grumbled and looked down

He knew she did know but clarified his statement so she wouldn't be able to hide in the clueless ness that was her trademark, in spite of the fact that because of all the interaction with the real world it begun little by little to fade.

-"I'm asking you whether or not you have an idea of the consequences involved in dating Hodgins"- Se avoided his stare but he trapped it by gently lifting her chin. How on earth did he get so close to her? One minute he was a few feet across her and now they were both face to face, he could move with such stealth.

-"No Booth, I don't have an idea of what the hell I'm doing. What I do know is that he makes me happy and I want to be with him, nonetheless I am aware that for every action there is a consequence and whatever those are I'm willing to face them"- He could see how scared she was of the future awaiting her, he loved her so much. She was making a gigantic mistake but it was hers to make, all he could do was hang around until everything crashed and burned and then he would be there to pick up the pieces and get her back to her feet.

Love this strong and powerful was as wonderful as it was terrifying, he was still afraid of taking that final step for he knew that once he did he would be hers. She would have him wrapped around her finger enslaved at her every whim, whether she wanted or not.

The risk of two people becoming one is the loss of individuality, he understood that. Maybe the relationship with Hodgins was a blessing in disguise, it would give him time to gather his courage and jump the metaphorical cliff, and once he did she would say yes to him, he could feel it in his own bones.

-"So you squints got any evidence from the samples? - He changed the subject

-"They belong from the park, the evidence seems to point out that she was murdered not far from where she was found if the evidence does not help us determine the exact location of the crime scene we'll have to canvas the entire region"- she said giving him another cold beer bottle, the room was worm in spite of the air conditioning and iced cold beer ran like water

-"I really hope it doesn't get that far, it would take a lot of time and effort. By the time we find anything, if we do, the guys who did it might get away."- He feared it might be too late already –"I've searched for our mobsters, no one's seen Nikov in a while and Korsakoff was last seen driving south, I notified the Mexican boarder but I don't have my hopes up"-

-"They are criminals with an large record who might flee to another country, why don't you contact the Interpol? It might be in their jurisdiction"-

-"Yeah I contacted a few buddies of mine who owe me, they're investigating them right now but if won't be official until we're sure they left the country"-

She sighed, once again she felt their case was hitting a dead end and all she could do was hope yet another lucky break. A murder investigation should be solved by the collection and interpretation of facts not random occurrences.

-"What do we do now?"- She shrugged

-"We go to bed and rest; tomorrow things might be a little more hopeful."- He said picking up the plates and helping her washing them.

Like many other nights he slept in her apartment, and just like all those nights he laid on the bed of her guest room. Unlike the rest of those nights she didn't toss and turned in her bed grieving to be so close and yet so far of what her body and most basic nature wanted. No this particular night she fell into a deep peaceful sleep, something she hadn't enjoyed in a while.


	9. crime

She woke up early that morning, fully rested and in a good mood Brennan walked to her garden barefoot trying not to make any sound so she wouldn't wake booth. In her small collection of plants she found a dragonfly. With as much stealth as she could she dug holes on the lid of an empty jar and trapped the little insect in it. On their weekend escapade Hodgins told her that his favourite bugs were dragonflies because their wings were transparent and iridescent, on summer days they seemed to sparkle like the little fairies on children's books.

She knew it had been hard for Jack to sit around while she spent the night with Booth, maybe this would cheer him up. Jack called her cell phone and when she answered he told her exited

-"The mass spectrometer showed traces of minerals that can only exist on higher ground from were we found the victim, based on the geography of the landscape I triangulated the area of were she was actually killed, there is a hill exactly twenty kilometres from were the body was found"- He said exited.

-"Great I'll tell Booth to arrange a team and we'll canvas the area"-

…..

Walking in a forest with dark overalls in the middle of the summer was a daunting task, luckily the smell of rotten flesh drove them quickly in the right direction, a corpse was found on the area, it was placed on a shallow grave that summer rain had eventually uncovered.

The rotten corpse was still too fleshy for Brennan's expertise, so while Camille stayed with the body the anthropologist kept looking for more evidence. Only her extraordinary power of observation noticed the little pieces of metal hidden between dry branches, those were the slugs of a nine mm bullet.

Once in the lab Angela reconstructed the victim's face, it didn't take long to find the identity since the drawing fit perfectly with the photo on Nikov's file. Camille estimated that the time of death was about the same as Galloway the cause of death was also a shot in the aorta by a nine mm whose striation matched the bullet found on Christina. In spite of Brennan's objections Cam and Booth agreed that not only they were shot by the same person but that probably the murderer was Korsakoff, basically because police records claimed that both mobsters worked together, if Korsakoff hadn't been involved in the deaths his corpse wouldn't have been far from that hill.

-"It still doesn't change the scenario"- Wendell said –"Korsakoff is still a suspect and we haven't found him"-

-"At least I can make a proper recreation"- Angela said drawing attention at her computer screen –"Galloway was following Nikov, he went to the park to meet his associate and that's when Korsakoff killed him, somehow he noticed Galloway and shot her too so he wouldn't leave any live witness"-

Brennan interjected –"Given the trajectory of the bullet she was crouching when shot and about to jump forward with both hands in front of her, either she was visible from the bushes or she made a noise, it is also possible that she tried to shoot Korsakoff but he got to her first"-

-"If that's the case were is her weapon? People who knew the victim said she was always armed especially if she was following someone but we didn't find any weapon near her body or at the original crime scene"- Booth said dialling a number

-"Maybe the murderer took it, if that's the case if we catch him and find the weapon it will be irrefutable evidence against him"- Sweets chipped in

-"Who are you calling Booth?"- Brennan asked him

-"A few buddies of mine on the DEA, if these guys were on the Russian mob they probably have a few agents infiltrated on the organization, they might give us something on Korsakoff. If there's any consolation is that no one matching his description was seen on the Canadian or Mexican boarder, my guess is that he is still on the country."-

Hodgins was on the platform staring idly at his computer, it was better for everyone if he stayed far from Booth for the time being. A soft hand patted his shoulder and as he turned he saw Brennan smiling warmly at him, she gave him a glass jar with the dragonfly trapped in it.

-"I saw this and thought of you"- she shrugged

-"Elfin skimmer, pretty rare to find in this area. Cool I'll add this cute little guy to my collection; I have a huge habitat on my basement."- He said happily, it was one of the best presents he had in a long time. He wanted to hug her and not let go, to kiss her with passion so the whole world could see how he felt, but this was their workplace and he promised her to be professional. She had promised nonetheless that outside of the lab they would act like a couple, tonight they were going out together on their first honest date.


	10. silence

Hodgins told Brennan he would pick her up at eight, she would be the one to choose were they would go. They could get in any restaurant without reservation but after a long smothering day she didn't feel like dressing up, she put on a plain t-shirt and a denim short skirt, they might make it through the night without engaging in rigorous lovemaking so this time she did wear plain cotton panties hoping he wouldn't tear them up.

The night was clear and a gentle breeze cleared some of the unbearable humidity they had suffered over the day. It was a beautiful night to walk over the city so they wandered idly over the far corners of the town they believed to know so well.

Hidden behind a narrow passage next to a small art gallery was a small café where they had a light dinner, plain small tables were surrounded by indoor plants and the clear starry night sky was their ceiling. There was new moon that night so in spite of the candles and lanterns it was quite dark.

They barely talked during dinner; it wasn't an awkward silence they just didn't feel there was much to say. Deep down they knew that if they talked it would be about work or their troubled social life, the friendly silence that enveloped them felt like a balm over the ringing they felt on their ears. All they could hear was the flutter of moth's wings as they danced around the café's lamps and the gentle music the wind played as it passed over the many corners of the town.

After dinner they wandered around the city not knowing were to go and not caring in the slightest, it was such a peaceful night, she laid her head by his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist. The eerie quietness was a little unsettling though, it was a weekday but there should have been more people on the street. No words came from the pedestrians that passed their side and even when both felt they should say something no word came through their minds; cars drove slowly the engines made no noise. A non- skeptic would've thought a slumber spell had fallen over D.C.

Just when the hypnotic silence threatened to rule over the night sharp music cut thought it, instinctively Temperance followed it with Jack on her heels. It was jazz, loud vibrant and eclectic.

It was a modest dance club that broke the religious calm of that Thursday night, five years ago on the verge of ruin the owner decided to spend the little money he had on a classic 1950's car and after many skilled and necessary reparations he offered it as a price on a dance-a-thlon. The trick paid off and in one night between drinks, tickets and extras he almost recovered all he spent on the car, what was more important he made a clientele that saved the club from bankruptcy. In honour of that original competition twice a year he offered a big price for an all night dance competition, it wasn't about skill it didn't matter if you danced well or if you were an uncoordinated disaster, the objective was to dance all night and whoever last the longest would take the price in this case a cherry red 69's mustang, completely restored.

Neither Jack or Temperance cared about the vehicle since both already had new cars and after a long workday he didn't expect to last longer than a couple of hours but the music was exactly what they needed, a cheery rhythm that took all the troubles away from their mind shattering the stress of their lives. Inside that vintage club the harsh realities of daily life were left behind, shooed away by the loud music and the free flow of drinks.

This time they did make the fool of themselves, she did had a decent notion of jazz but he was clueless their limbs were thrown away clumsily all over the dance floor. It didn't matter for if the had been experts they wouldn't had blend in, almost all couples knew nothing of jazz dancing and looked even more ridiculous than them trying to mimic what they though were the typical moves, most of them knew nothing of jazz they were there to have fun and maybe win a car.

She didn't know how long they had been dancing until the music stopped she realized over half the amount of people remained, the rest had deserted. Al Jenkins, the friendly owner of the "Good old times" club stepped into the platform and announced to the competitors: -"All right guys you have been doing great so far, but it's three a.m. and the party is far from over so take a half hour break and we'll keep dancing!"-

-"Three a.m.? It is way too late"- jack said stunned

-"Yes I have to do an extence study of Nikov's remains Cam said she didn't find much information other than the gunshot wound".-

A couple ran pass them, he was in his late 60's and she was well over 50, he tickled her ribs and she laughed like a school girl after five hours of dancing they were still full of life.

Jack scoffed –"if those two can handle it so can we, we should stay"-

Temperance smiled as she looked at the couple –"It is rare to find such a behaviour on people their age since hormonal levels decrease as well as muscle mass and tissue elasticity"-

The couple heard her; they were in such a good mood they weren't offended the man only retorted. -"You don't need youth when you have Red bull and Viagra!"-

Laughing temperance took Jack to the back of the club, were beer bottles were stored near the janitor's closet. She thought they could use their break in a much more productive way; there wasn't much time so she thought they could kiss and snuggle for a while far from the crowd but Jack thought different, his hands slid below her skirt caressing her soft insides, one single stroke from his hands and she was charged with electricity. She stepped back to remove her panties and he pulled her close, she undid his belt with ease and caressed his flesh, fuelled by rude possessiveness Temperance ordered him: - "get down"-.

He obeyed; his mouth instinctively reached her nether lips. She enjoyed his ministrations but that wasn't what she had in mind, her hands pushed his shoulders back and then she crouched over him; his penis went inside her too soon she wasn't quite ready yet. The tight difficult fit brought a mixture of pain over her lust and that flipped a switch on her mind. She grabbed his wrist and pulled his hands beside his head, he was trapped between her and the wall her grip and the weight she put on his hips, not to count the lock of her strong thighs left him immobilized. All he could do is let her mount him and enjoy the ride.

Her pain faded quickly, out of her mind she bounced over him crushing his pelvis, the pace intensified and she was just warming up. He gave her the strongest aphrodisiac, something no man had ever given to her before: complete control.

Hodgins was trapped between the soft pressure of her porcelain skin, the rough bricks of the unfinished wall and the dirty floor, paralyzed by her uncontrolled movements.

She felt so damn good on his sweetly tortured member, anything she could do to him he would love it, her hair caressed his face and shoulders, and when the marvellous friction turned into heat Jack thought they might catch on fire.

They busted at the same time, burned by their inner heat.

Four hours later they stared stunned at their new car; they ended up dancing all night before they knew what force drove them to keep dancing after their interlude they were the last couple standing.

Temperance laughed at the irony since neither of them needed nor wanted that car, it was seven a.m. and the sunrise illuminated her smile. His mouth wanted to pronounce the three little words that ran around his heart, she read the message in his eyes, kissed him softly and he read a response in hers. They wouldn't need words, not tonight.


	11. Blessed

Author's note: Thank you for all your reviews, it was hard for me to finish the story because it was suposed to be the second part of a three part saga but i'm done with the show. I finished this story for all the people who liked it and wanted to know how it ended, again thank you very much for your suport.

...

Right after the kiss normality disrupted their dream like mood, tiredness tore every cell in their bodies. Their legs trembled as cramps stabbed each one of their muscles, her cell phone rang Camille called her.

-"Good morning Dr Brennan, Booth was contacted by his friend in the Interpol and he might know where Korsakoff is. I need you in the lab ASAP so we can arrange some things before we go after him"- Cam had to be the one to call Brennan, she didn't want Booth to call her that early knowing she had probably woke up by Hodgins side.

-"We have to go to work Jack"- Temperance told him shocked, they could barely stand up and now they had a long day ahead of them.

-"I know, look at the bright side Tempe at least we don't have to walk there"- he said pointing at their car

They laughed until their stomachs cramped and their breaths were almost out of their lungs, they laughed at their ridiculous situation and how foolish they had been to found themselves there.

Two hours and three energy drinks (she knew how unhealthy they were but she did need them) later Brennan was in Booth's SUV heading a storage near the harbour, the Intel from Interpol said Korsakoff and Nikov were trafficking cocaine, the shipment from China was due to be delivered that same morning. Korsakoff had to wait for the shipment and deliver it to his bosses or he would be a dead man, that's the reason he couldn't leave the country. Nikov was going to snitch to the DEA; unfortunately Galloway had been an inconvenient witness and got killed as well.

Hearing Booth's information and reconstruction from the crime Brennan agreed it was a plausible scenario but she wanted to verify the theory with the facts.

-"This is the plan Bones, you stay in the car and I go after Korsakoff, is that right?"-

-"Booth why do you always insist on leaving me out of the actual capture?-

-"Because someone has to stay and call for back up if things go bad, the squints are near the harbour with some officers but if they get too close Korsakoff might spot them and run away, this guy might be the ticket to bring down the whole mafia, if we get them in our custody…"-

-"He could confess and lead the FBI to his bosses and bring down the cartel"- Brennan concluded.

-"Great, now you stay put this should be over soon"-

Brennan sighed as Booth entered one of the docks, covered by a rusty boat. Because of the excess caffeine and the worry she always felt whenever Booth was on a dangerous situation and she had to wait outside, Brennan got bored fast. She wanted to get out of that constricted space and do something, anything to help him.

A few minutes' later gunshots were heard and Booth was out of sight, unable to stop herself she searched in her purse for her gun. Her partner had threatened to remove her license to carry weapons if he saw her "packing heat" again but she took the risk considering all the possible danger they usually faced.

She followed the sounds of the shots to a hidden corner of the dock, Booth had his gun pointed at the mobster and he had a rifle pointing in the agent's direction. They were separated by a considerable distance. A huge miscalculation was to expect Korsakoff to have a plain gun instead of a rifle; Booth's weapon didn't have the range to hit his mark while the mobster's did. If both opened fire there was no doubt the Russian had a clear advantage. So busy they were aiming at each other they didn't see the anthropologist sneaking close to the mobster barely covered by a half fallen wall.

-"Drop your weapon!"- Brennan shouted pointing at the criminal's head

-"Bones get out of here now!"- Booth told her scared

-"He has a higher calibre Booth if he shoots you'll die, but if he does I'll shoot him."-

Korsakoff knew she was right, on a one to one match with the agent he would win but if he shot the man now the woman would shoot him. Nonetheless getting captured was not an option; he knew his bosses would kill him before he even had a chance to sit at an interrogation room.

The mobster assessed the situation, his only way out was to shoot either of them and hope the remaining one didn't react fast enough to hit the mark before he did.

The man was obviously military trained while the woman was probably a plain civilian, Korsakoff aimed at the man but before he pulled the trigger all the way he heard the sound of gunshot, then he felt a cold, burning pain in his shoulder. Outraged he realized the woman saw his intention and shot him before he could kill the agent. Blood poured freely from his wound, whether he bled to death or taken into custody after receiving medical treatment he knew he was going to die.

The final act of freedom Korsakoff was given he used it to shoot at the woman who got him killed.

For Booth time had been distorted turning painfully slow, he heard the dreaded sound and saw her fall on her knees, the short sprint to her location was endless.

Brennan felt a mild burning below her ribs and took a deep breath, and then another one and another until her breathing normalized. She opened her eyes and touched her side, a few drops of blood stained her fingers, standing up she inspected the wound and realized it was just a scratch, she was fine.

Strong arms circled her, his hands touched her body searching for the wound; he found a shallow injury in her right side.

-"I'm fine Booth; Korsakoff was too weak to aim right. We have to help him or he'll die before he gets to confess"-

She ran to the fallen enemy, horrified when the large pool of blood was evident. She searched for a pulse and didn't find it, by the location of the bullet hole she concluded the ascendant portion of the aorta had been ripped, no CPR could save him.

It wasn't long until the corpse was wrapped in a body bag and taken to the morgue, so many thoughts and feelings stormed in her heart she didn't even flinch when the paramedic sutured her wound. It was frustrating that she killed him, now he would never confess to either Galloway's death or his involvement in the cartel, if only she had aimed a little to the right…

The unbidden worry and love she saw in Booth's eyes and the relief on his face when he saw she was fine hurted much worse than the needle piercing her skin, so was the kind patience of Hodgins company while he held her hand. The physical pain was a welcome distraction so she ordered the paramedic no to use any lidocaine.

It was noon on the hottest summer day yet when Booth neared the ambulance was Hodgins and Brennan heard the paramedic's instructions on the care of her wound the temperature dropped several degrees. They wouldn't fight in front of her; the poor woman had just killed a man and almost died herself, now the choice of who would comfort her was a territorial argument that soon would need to be settled. Camille rolled her eyes and came to Brennan's rescue but Angela stopped her

–"I got it Cam"- she said gently.

Angela dragged Brennan out of the ambulance and defied the men to say anything about it, both looked the other way a little embarrassed; she would drive the anthropologist home.

-"Sweetie I know we hadn't been exactly in good terms but I'm still your best friend you can talk to me"-

-"About what?"- She wasn't playing clueless; Temperance had a hard time focusing her thoughts, too much caffeine in her system.

-"About the fact that you just killed a man who shot you with a rifle! If you hadn't been so lucky you'd be on your way to the hospital or the morgue."- Her voice on the verge of breaking –"Why do you always have to pull stuff like that? Why the hell couldn't you stay out of it for once?"- She hyperventilated with the hope of calming herself, so much for comforting a friend in distress. In the back of her mind Angela was grateful for the luxury of fighting with her friend instead of mourning by her grave.

-"Because if I hadn't Booth would have died"- she said simply

-"Sweetie I hate breaking this to you but Booth would rather die than letting you get killed, he loves you. I don't like it either but unfortunately being in the crossfire is his job not yours"-

Brennan couldn't give her a logic explanation of why she did what she did. Caffeine and sleep deprivation were not valid reasons but then she thought of a very logic truth.

-"If I died it is expected that my friends and family would be hurt for a while, which in my opinion is a useless behaviour since it wouldn't alter the facts. Nonetheless if Booth died Parker would be fatherless and that would have a large impact on his life"- Brennan recited

-"Are you saying that his life is worth more than yours because he has a kid?"-

-"Yes, when you have a child it is your responsibility to stay alive as long as possible in order to ensure proper protection and guidance. You could almost say that part of your life belongs to your offspring."-

Angela stared at the road ahead of her; no reply came from her lips.

….

Hodgins waited in his house, he wanted nothing more than to be with Tempe but after the harbour incident Booth and the rest of the squints hovered around her. The FBI agent had shown such care and understandment Jack stepped away, he knew only him could help her in such a situation. Booth knew what it was like to have someone else's blood on your hands the entomologist's presence would have only made things unnecessarily awkward.

He thought it was wiser to stay out of the picture until the dust settled then she would either come back to him or go with Booth, whatever choice she made he would respect it no matter how much pain it coasted.

A soft knock sounded in his door, he opened it and there she was, the woman who made him believe in love again. A sweet smile on her lips and a pack of ice cream in her arms.

-"Hi Tempe, come in I have ice tea on the fridge"-

-"Hi Jack, I brought cherry ice cream, your favourite"-

His heart bursted with joy when they kissed at the doorstep, how he had missed the soft skin and tender lips. The door was closed and the ice cream lay forgotten on the floor, he pinned her to the mahogany door and removed her t-shirt, her breast bounced free she hadn't put on a bra. His mouth relished in her taste once more, her perky nipples rose in recognition of his tongue, his fingers dug below her short skirt and wet panties, the sweet silky entrance welcoming him once more.

He kissed his way down until he found the rugged surface of the scar on her torso; he took his time kissing it. Her hips swing back and forth she wouldn't wait much longer, it had been too long.

-"Baby please"- she moaned

He rose and met the blue fire in her eyes, she took the opportunity to unbuckle his pants, stroking his manhood and leading it to her tight pussy.

He took her by the firm mounds of her ass and leaned her by the door, her legs wrapped by his waist, only his legs supported her weight. She hissed when he finally entered her, his movements caring and urgent at the same time. The pace sped up quickly and he raised the bet by grabbing one of her ankles and taking it to lie on his shoulder which allowed him to go even deeper. It was a considerable strain on his body but the stamina stored by days of unquenched desire and restrained powerful emotions was more than enough to keep going.

She was dissolved in a sea of sensations; all she wanted was to meld into his body almost digging in his soft skin. White pain, fire and bliss flooded both lovers along with the certainty that somehow, everything would be alright.

…

In a well crowded bar a sad troubled man ordered a cold beer, next to him an equally troubled beautiful woman did the same. They looked at each other understanding in one second the mutual pain they shared. The need for company was undeniable as they neared each other.

He told her in a friendly voice, the birth of new feelings creeping on him

–"Hi Angela"-

-"Hi Booth"- She answered sweetly.

Love does not stay static as an inanimate object, it shifts its form and changes into ways beyond our imagination, but no matter what we do it will always be there, it never goes away.


End file.
